SAN JOSE  Pete DeBoer will shuffle up the Sharks lineup in Game 4 with evidence suggesting that Joe Thornton will make his return to action.

Thornton skated on the Sharks top line in rushes at the teams morning practice Wednesday and defenseman Joakim Ryan confirmed that he will be replacing Paul Martin as Brent Burns defensive partner.

After practice, Thornton dismissed the suggestion that hell be rejoining the Sharks lineup in Game 4 of their second-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights at SAP Center Wednesday night. When asked if hell be playing, Thornton said, no. nothings changed, before leaving the Sharks dressing room.

DeBoer called both Thornton and Ryan, game-time decisions.

We dont have any lineup decisions yet, the Sharks coach said. We had an optional this morning, didnt have everyone out there, so I havent made any decisions on whos in or out.

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Evander Kane was absent for the Sharks skate Wednesday morning, which isnt uncommon. Kane has missed several morning practices since he joined the team at the trade deadline for maintenance purposes. Joonas Donskoi, who missed Game 3, is sidelined with a lower-body injury.

Although Thornton denied that hell suit up for his first game since Jan. 23 Wednesday, all signs are pointing to a return from his right-knee injury in Game 4.

First, Thorntons proven over the last year or so that he isnt always the most reliable source when it comes to his own health.

Last spring, Thornton said there was no doubt that he would be on the ice for Game 1 of the Sharks first-round series with the Edmonton Oilers three days after he suffered a left-knee injury on April 2, 2017.

Im a quick healer, just a couple days. Thats all I need. Who knows? Maybe Ill play tomorrow, Thornton said on April 5, 2017, labeling his injury as a bruise. The training staff pretty much said, put a band-aid on it and go out and play.

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Thornton ended up missing the first two games of the series, returning for Game 3 on April 18, 2017. After the series, the Sharks revealed that Thornton had been playing with a pair of ligament tears in his left knee.

Second, DeBoer left the door open for Thorntons return in Game 4, declining an opportunity to rule him out after practice Tuesday and calling him a game-time decision Wednesday.

Finally, captain Joe Pavelski also punted on a chance to confirm or deny the suggestion that Thornton will be rejoining the team Wednesday. He chuckled when asked whether Thorntons presence on the top line in rushes means that hell be suiting up for Game 4.

I dont know. Youll have to ask him, Pavelski said with a laugh. We said right from the start, he knows when hell play.

While Thorntons status is shrouded in mystery, its certain that DeBoer will make at least one major change to his lineup Wednesday.

Ryan will be making his return to the Sharks blue line after losing his spot on Burns pairing to Martin over the last three weeks of the regular season. The rookie defenseman suited up for 62 games before he got pulled out of the lineup because of an upper-body injury on March 17.

After Ryan returned to health on March 29, DeBoer stuck with Martin, saying that he was making lineup decisions on a day-to-day basis based on who gave the team the best chance to win that night.

The decision finally caught up with the Sharks in this week as Martins posted a minus-four rating this series, struggling to keep up with the Knights tremendous team speed. As a result, DeBoer benched Martin for most of overtime in Game 2, forcing Brent Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic to log more than 36 minutes of ice time a piece.

DeBoer couldnt afford to put that much mileage on his top defensemens legs again in Game 3, so he played Martin in overtime. The decision cost the Sharks on the game-winning goal as Martin got turned around by the Knights speed in the neutral zone, giving William Karlsson a clear path to the net.

Now, the question is how quickly Ryan can shake off the rust of spending six-plus weeks in the press box when he makes his Stanley Cup playoff debut in Game 3.

I guess well find out tonight, Ryan said. I feel pretty good. I feel like Im in shape. Obviously, you cant replicate a game in a practice. Hopefully, I can shake some of the rust off in the first couple of shifts and go from there.

Although Ryan confirmed that hell be in the lineup Wednesday, DeBoer stuck to the company line, calling him a game-time decision.

When asked if Ryan is being misleading, DeBoer said: I cant be any clearer than what I just said: Ive got game-time decisions on my lineup. I havent decided on my lineup. Done.